Clear your web browser's cache, cookies, and history
[Printer Icon] Print this article- Clearing your web browser's cache, cookies, and history may remove some data that you wish to keep. For details, see About cache, cookies, and history below. For an alternate troubleshooting method, see Troubleshooting alternatives.
- For desktop browsers, to quickly open menus used to clear your cache, cookies, and history, ensure that the browser is open and selected, and press
Ctrl-Shift-Delete(Windows) orCommand-Shift-Delete(Mac). If this doesn't work, follow the appropriate instructions below. - If the instructions below don't exactly match what you see, you may need to update your web browser to the latest version.
- If you don't see the instructions below for your specific version or browser, search your browser's Help menu for "clear cache." If you're unsure what browser version you're using, from the Help menu or your browser's menu, select About [browser name]. In Internet Explorer and Firefox, if you don't see the menu bar, press
Alt.
On this page:
About cache, cookies, and history
Clearing your web browser's cache, cookies, and history may remove data such as the following:
- Saved passwords
- Address bar predictions
- Shopping cart contents, etc.
While you should clear your web browser's cache, cookies, and history periodically to prevent or resolve performance problems, you may wish to record some of your saved information first. If you are unable to do so, see Troubleshooting alternatives below.
For information about your web browser's cache, cookies, and history, see the following Wikipedia pages:
Troubleshooting alternatives
Suppose you need to clear your cache, cookies, and history for troubleshooting purposes but aren't yet prepared to lose the content listed above. In that case, you may wish to consider using a private browsing window in your preferred browser as a temporary solution. For instructions, see:
- Private Browsing (Firefox)
- Browse in private with Incognito mode (Chrome desktop and Android)
- Browse InPrivate in Microsoft Edge
- Browse privately (Safari)
- Turn Private Browsing on or off on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch
Mobile browsers
Android
The steps to clear your cache, cookies, and history may differ depending on the model of your Android device and your preferred browser. However, you should be able to clear your cache and data from your application management settings menu:
- Go to Settings and choose Apps or Application Manager.
- Swipe to the All tab.
- In the list of installed apps, find and tap your web browser. Tap Clear Data and then Clear Cache.
- Exit/quit all browser windows and re-open the browser.
Chrome for Android
- Tap Chrome menu > Settings.
- Tap (Advanced) Privacy.
- From the "Time Range" drop-down menu, select All Time.
- Check Cookies and Site Data and Cached Images and Files.
- Tap Clear data.
- Exit/quit all browser windows and re-open the browser.
Safari for iOS
- Open your Settings app.
- Tap Safari.
- Tap Clear History and Website Data and confirm.
- Exit/quit all browser windows and re-open the browser.
Chrome for iOS
- Tap Chrome menu > Settings.
- Tap Privacy.
- Tap Clear Browsing Data.
- Choose the data type you want to clear.
- Tap Clear Browsing Data.
- Exit/quit all browser windows and re-open the browser.
Desktop browsers
Chrome
- In the browser bar, enter:
chrome://settings/clearBrowserData
- At the top of the "Clear browsing data" window, click Advanced.
- Select the following:
- Browsing history
- Download history
- Cookies and other site data
- Cached images and files
From the "Time range" drop-down menu, you can choose the period for which you want to clear cached information. For example, to remove your entire cache, select All time.
- Click CLEAR DATA.
- Exit/quit all browser windows and re-open the browser.
Firefox
- From the History menu, select Clear Recent History.
If the menu bar is hidden, press
Altto make it visible. - From the Time range to clear: drop-down menu, select the desired range; select Everything to clear your entire cache.
- Next to "Details," click the down arrow to choose which elements of the history to clear; to clear your entire cache, select all items.
- Click Clear Now.
- Exit/quit all browser windows and re-open the browser.
Microsoft Edge
- Click the Hub icon (it looks like a star with three horizontal lines).
- Click the History icon (it looks like a clock), and then select Clear all history.
- Select Browsing history, then Cookies and saved website data, and then Cached data and files. Click Clear.
- After the "All Clear!" message appears, exit/quit all browser windows and re-open the browser.
Internet Explorer 11
- Select Tools > Safety > Delete browsing history....
If the menu bar is hidden, press
Altto make it visible. - Deselect Preserve Favorites website data, and select:
- Temporary Internet files or Temporary Internet files and website files
- Cookies or Cookies and website data
- History
- Click Delete. You will see a confirmation at the bottom of the window when the process is complete.
- Exit/quit all browser windows and re-open the browser.
Opera
- From the Opera menu, select Settings, then Privacy & Security, and then Clear browsing data.
- In the dialog box that opens, from the "Obliterate the following items from" drop-down menu, select The beginning of time.
- Select the following:
- Browsing history
- Download history
- Cookies and other site data
- Cached images and files
- Click Clear browsing data.
- Exit/quit all browser windows and re-open the browser.
Safari 8 and later
- From the Safari menu, select Clear History or Clear History and Website Data.
- Next, select the desired time range, and then click Clear History.
- Finally, go to Safari > Quit Safari or press
Command-Qto exit the browser completely.
Source: "Clear your web browser's cache, cookies, and history." Indiana University Knowledge Base. https://kb.iu.edu/d/ahic.